THE ROBERT SIMPSON COLLECTION AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY MS Mus. 1738. Music manuscripts of the composer Robert Simpson (b.1921; d.1997); 1942-1997, n.d. Manuscripts are autograph except where specified otherwise. Presented by Angela Simpson on 9 June 2000, with additional material subsequently received from the archives of the Robert Simpson Society (formerly housed at Royal Holloway, University of London), and from individual donors. See also MS Mus. 94, the autograph manuscript of Simpson’s String Quartet no. 7. The collection is arranged as follows: MS Mus. 1738/1 Symphonies MS Mus. 1738/2 Concertos MS Mus. 1738/3 Other orchestral music MS Mus. 1738/4 Incidental music MS Mus. 1738/5 Music for brass band MS Mus. 1738/6 Vocal music MS Mus. 1738/7 String quartets MS Mus. 1738/8 Other chamber music MS Mus. 1738/9 Keyboard music MS Mus. 1738/10 Arrangement MS Mus. 1738/11 Miscellaneous sketches MS Mus. 1738/1. SYMPHONIES MS Mus. 1738/1/1. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 1; 1951. Score, in green ink, with various ink and pencil annotations. Dated at the end ‘21. vii. 1951 at Muswell Hill’. Submitted by the composer for his doctorate at the University of Durham in 1951. First performed in Copenhagen on 11 June 1953. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co, 1956. Presented by the Robert Simpson Society in 2006. ff. i + 73. Green buckram binding. MS Mus. 1738/1/2. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 2; 1955-1956. Score, in ink, with numerous ink and pencil annotations. Dedicated to Anthony and Mary Bernard. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., 1976. Presented by the Robert Simpson Society in 2006. ff. iv + 94. Folio 22 is a stub, the remainder having been excised by the composer. Folios 74 and 75 have been pasted together by the composer. Cardboard binding. MS Mus. 1738/1/3. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 3; 1961-1962. Commissioned by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and dedicated to Havergal Brian. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., 1972; rev. ed. published 1974. 2 volumes. MS Mus. 1738/1/3/1. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 3; 1961-1962. Draft score, in pencil, with many corrections and signs of sections having been rubbed out and re- worked. Pages 99-102 are wanting. Annotated ‘22.iv.61’ at the beginning and ‘12.55 a.m. 12.xi.62 at Chearsley’ at the end. Presented by the Robert Simpson Society in 2006. ff. i + 104. MS Mus. 1738/1/3/2. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 3; 1962. Fair copy score, in ink, with numerous ink amendments. Presented by the Robert Simpson Society in 2011. ff. 71 + 13*. Conserved and bound in black buckram binding for the composer. MS Mus. 1738/1/4. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 4; 1970-1972, 1988. Score, in pencil. Annotated ‘3.x.70’ at the beginning and ‘5.10 p.m. 13.ii.72 at Chearsley’ at the end. With a single leaf containing the solo cello part for the third movement, in ink, revised 26 October 1988 (f. 2). Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by Graham Melville-Mason in 2000. ff. 142. MS Mus. 1738/1/5. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 5; 1972. Score, in pencil. ‘Dedicated in admiration to The London Symphony Orchestra’ (f. 1). Annotated at the end ‘5.55 p.m. 10.xii.1972 at Chearsley’. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by the Robert Simpson Society in 2006. ff. 110. MS Mus. 1738/1/6. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 6; 1977. Photocopy of the autograph manuscript, with a number of autograph corrections. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. i + 72. MS Mus. 1738/1/7. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 7; 1977. Score, in pencil. Annotated ‘26.vi.77’ at the beginning of the score and ‘23.x.77. 3.15 p.m. at Chearsley’ at the end. Published by Faber Music, 1983. Presented by the Robert Simpson Society in 2006. ff. 57. MS Mus. 1738/1/8. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 8; 1981. Commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society and dedicated to Anthony and Daphne Dorrell. Published by Faber Music, n.d. 2 volumes MS Mus. 1738/1/8/1. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 8; 1981. Score, in pencil. Annotated ‘17.ii.81’ at the beginning of the score and ‘11.45 a.m. 30.xii.81 at Chearsley’ at the end. Presented by Daphne Dorrell in 2010. ff. 124. Folios 68 and 69 have been taped together by the composer. MS Mus. 1738/1/8/2. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 8; 1981. Photocopy of a copyist’s manuscript, with autograph corrections and annotations and four leaves of autograph manuscript interpolated in the second movement. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2006. ff. iii + 146. MS Mus. 1738/1/9. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 9; 1985-1986. Score, in pencil. Annotated at the end ‘5.22 p.m. 30.iv.86 at Killelton’. Composed for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and dedicated to the composer’s wife, Angela Simpson. Published by Faber Music, 1992. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 93. Folios 3-4 were previously taped together by the composer. MS Mus. 1738/1/10. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 10; 1988. Score, in pencil. Dedicated to Vernon Handley. Annotated at the beginning ‘1.i.88’ and at the end ‘10.45 a.m. 13.x.88 at Killelton’. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 120. MS Mus. 1738/1/11. Robert Simpson: Symphony no. 11; 1990. Score, in pencil. Annotated at the beginning ‘30.iv.90’ and at the end ‘11.45 a.m. 18.ix.90 at Killelton’. Dedicated to Matthew Taylor. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 95. MS Mus. 1738/2. CONCERTOS MS Mus. 1738/2/1. Robert Simpson: Concerto for violin and orchestra; 1957-1959. Score, in pencil. Annotated at the beginning ‘9.ii.57’ and at the end ‘27.iv.59 at Muswell Hill’. Dedicated to Ernest Clement. First performed in 1960 but subsquently withdrawn by the composer. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 119. MS Mus. 1738/2/2. Robert Simpson: Concerto for piano and orchestra; 1967. Score, in pencil. Annotated at the end ‘Chearsley 7.iv.67’. Dedicated to John Ogdon. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by the Robert Simpson Society in 2006. ff. 55. MS Mus. 1738/2/3. Robert Simpson: Part of an untitled work, presumably a concerto, for cello, piano and orchestra; 1976. Two incomplete scores, in pencil. One is annotated at the beginning ‘6.ii.76’ and comprises 36 bars of music. The second is undated and comprises 67 bars of music. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 9. MS Mus. 1738/2/4. Robert Simpson: Concerto for flute and orchestra; 1989. Score (ff. 1- 20) and solo flute part (ff. 21-25), in pencil. Annotated ‘11.v.89’ at the beginning of the score and ‘1.55 p.m, 23 vi 89 at Killelton’ at the end. Dedicated to Susan Milan. Published by Rosehill Music in 1991. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 25. MS Mus. 1738/2/5. Robert Simpson: Concerto for cello and orchestra; 1991. Dedicated to Raphael Wallfisch. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. 2 volumes. MS Mus. 1738/2/5/1. Score, in pencil. Annotated ‘18 vi 91’ at the beginning of the score and ‘15.18: 25.viii.91 at Killelton’ at the end. ff. 53. MS Mus. 1738/2/5/2. Solo cello part, in pencil. ff. 7. MS Mus. 1738/3. OTHER ORCHESTRAL MUSIC MS Mus. 1738/3/1. Robert Simpson: ‘Variations on a theme of Carl Nielsen, for orchestra’; 1982-1983. Score, in pencil. Annotated ‘11.xii.82’ at the beginning of the score and ‘5.10 p.m. 26.vi.83 at Chearsley’ at the end. According to a note by Simpson on the title page, the theme comes from Nielsen’s incidental music to Ebbe Skammelsen . Commissioned by the BBC for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and dedicated to Raymond Few. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by Rosemary Few-Hill in 2006. ff. 65. MS Mus. 1738/3/2. Robert Simpson: ‘Variations and Fugue on a theme by Bach for string orchestra; 1991. Score, in pencil. Annotated ‘12.ii.91’ at the beginning of the score and ‘10.49 a.m. 22.iv.91 at Killelton’ at the end. Dedicated to Denis and Simon Brooks. Published by Alfred Lengnick & Co., n.d. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 13. MS Mus. 1738/4. INCIDENTAL MUSIC ff. 227 ff. 1-218. Incidental music and playscript for The Pretenders by Henrik Ibsen, words adapted by Peter Haworth, for soprano solo, male chorus, woodwind, brass and percussion; 1965. Autograph score, in ink (ff. 1-34); photocopy of autograph score (ff. 35-74); set of autograph parts, in pencil (ff. 75-142); additional set parts for no. 19, in the hand of a copyist (ff. 143-165); typescript playscript, with timings added in pencil (ff. 166-218). Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. ff. 219-227. Incidental music to John Milton's Samson Agonistes, adapted and directed by Basil Ashmore, for brass and percussion; 1974. Score, in pencil. Annotated by the composer ‘12.45 p.m. 19.viii.74 at Chearsley’. Signed on folio 227v by Basil Ashmore and the performers, including Raffaelo Torre, A.B. Watts, R.G. Watts, R. Maycock and Tony Steadman. Presented by Angela Simpson in 2000. MS Mus. 1738/5.